The AMSR is a living, searchable digitised archive of high quality research data and commentary. Drawn from the output of respected market research and social research practitioners over many decades, it forms an inspiring source of insight for those seeking to explore the dynamics of change – in the past, the present and crucially, for the future. This site is an introduction to the AMSR; click here for a direct link to the archive site.
We’ve improved our ‘How to get the most out of the Archive‘ page and added an index page
Hot off the press: ‘How We’ve Changed: Social Trends from Post-War to Present Day and Beyond
The AMSR relies upon our volunteers. Click the button above if you’d like to join us.
The AMSR is, as far as we are aware, the first collection of its kind in the world, and we are constantly adding material as we acquire it. However if you are unable to find the information you require, there are many other useful resources worth investigating:
You’ll find links to many commercial collections, national archives and academic catalogues.
We are constantly reviewing and adding new material to the archive. In early 2022, it contained nearly 1,000 books and over 6,500 documents, as well as video and audio content – all digitised, searchable and downloadable from your desktop. We recommend that you read our page on ‘How to get the most out of the Archive’ – particularly if you are new to the AMSR. We have also recently added an index page to that demonstrates the scope of the Archive.
In the unlikely event that you can’t find the information you’re looking for in our Archive, don’t forget that there are many other resources worth investigating. Take a look at our links page to find out more.
COVID-19 has caused multiple national lockdowns since early 2020. Click here to find about how the AMSR has responded and how you can help us to continue our work to expand and develop the archive.
Newspapers regularly report the affection that the majority of the British public have for the Queen. What do past polls say? The...
Vegetarianism has come a long way since the 1990s, as this exploration of the Archive of Market and Social Research shows. Nowadays,...
(Article updated October 2021) A recent (October 2020) poll by YouGov found 67% of the British public want Britain to be a...
The latest advice seems to be that, at present, it is unlikely to be worth trying to switch gas and electricity suppliers...
The archive is a resource for everyone, and anyone can access it by registering at the archive portal page. The archive contents will be of particular interest to:
• Educators and students, academic institutions
• Research practitioners
• Business and marketing consultants
• Industry associations
The long-term trend data contained in the TGI Trackback volumes, for example, place health, diet purchasing patterns in the late 20th Century in sharp relief. We have a long run of polling statistics and many other measures that will be of interest and value to anyone charting the recent past and planning for the future of our society.
Sir John Curtice, respected UK politial scientist, academic, broadcaster and psephologist, discusses the importance of the Archive.
AMSR CEO Adam Phillips talks about the rationale behind the Archive at the MRS conference in March 2021.
See our Video Gallery for more clips.
The AMSR comprises major studies detailing UK social history, originally conducted by some of the best-known names in research. It is both a history of market and social research and our history through market and social research.
The archive contains market and social research material embracing books, research journals, data abstracts and conference papers. The sources include sector-leading organisations such as MORI, TGI, NOP, Millward Brown and the Market Research Society, to name just a few. Data goes back as far as WWII. It is the perfect place to uncover original context against which to set think pieces and proposals for future work.
A sample of the archive’s highlights will always be featured at the top of the home page – click any image to link directly to a case study. But there is much more to the archive than these, and the place to start any search is by browsing through the archive’s home page and using the word search facility. We add new material regularly so please subscribe to our newsletter (link to newsletter sign-up) to discover our latest additions.
AMSR Summer Event, Bush House, London Judith Staig reports from the AMSR's Summer Event, held on 26th May 2022 To be part...
MRS Impact Conference 2022 Judith Staig reports for the AMSR on this year's virtual sessions Love them or loath them, industry conferences...
The Opinium Collection The AMSR is delighted to welcome our first truly ‘modern’ collection, from Opinium – an agency founded in 2007,...
Review by Paul Edwards of the latest book in the AMSR's 'Showcasing the Archive' series First of all I have to declare...
The AMSR is funded by a growing body of committed supporters who pledge – generally for a three year period or more – a sum of money to enable the AMSR to continue the work of making the valuable contents of the archive available to those who wish to access them. Donors generally have an interest in promoting the work of the market research sector, and the AMSR’s donorship structure provides opportunities for anyone from a large organisation to an individual to play their part.
Learn more about becoming a donor and other ways of getting involved with AMSR:
If you have any material you think would belong in the archive, there’s only one thing to do – get in touch! Find out more about contributing materials here:
We couldn’t do what we do without a small army of volunteers. We have a dedicated team already in place but we always need more. Find out more here:
The AMSR releases regular updates about the latest additions to the archive in our newsletter – it’s the best way to keep abreast of the growing resource we’re proud to curate. See past newsletters and register for the newsletter here:
The AMSR is a much needed resource for the research industry… it will be of inestimable value to all those who want to find out about research and the industry now and over the last 70 years.
Jane Frost CBE, CEO, Market Research Society
